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Seven Pablos
Pablo lives in Chile with his hardworking father. But Pablo also lives in Ecuador, deep in the Amazon rainforest. There is another Pablo living with his family in Mexico, after fleeing the dictatorship in Argentina. And in New York, Pablo shares an overcrowded apartment in the Bronx, where he's only allowed home for twelve hours at a time. Pablo is the son of a rural schoolteacher in Peru, and another Pablo picks through garbage to survive in Rio de Janiero, while yet another Pablo has big plans to get from Guatemala to Los Angeles. Poet Jorge Luj�n tells the powerful story of seven different Pablos living seven different lives in this world we all call home.
36 pages, Hardcover
Published May 29, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 25, 2018
“There are many Pablos in the world and they are all one. Inside of each is a heart that beats with the same rhythm as the ocean waves and the rotation of the planet.”
Inspired by Gianni Rodari’s story One and Seven, Jorge Luján tells the story of seven Pablos, one in Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, New York City, Peru, Brazil, and Guatemala, all with common dreams for the future. I loved the color and graphite illustrations of Chiara Carrer. Very poetic. Lovely production by Enchanted Lion Books.
Inspired by Gianni Rodari’s story One and Seven, Jorge Luján tells the story of seven Pablos, one in Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, New York City, Peru, Brazil, and Guatemala, all with common dreams for the future. I loved the color and graphite illustrations of Chiara Carrer. Very poetic. Lovely production by Enchanted Lion Books.
December 16, 2018
A beautiful way to experience how it feels to be new in a place. This follows several boys around the world, all named Pablo. And, while they all live in different countries, their lives have more in common than one might think.
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December 19, 2018Pablo lives in Chile, whose father works in a copper mine. Pablo lives in New York City, and comes from Guyana. Altogether there are seven Pablos from different South American countries (Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, Mexico, Guyana, Peru, and Brazil. We are, in many ways, all Pablos, with needs to meet and humanity in our hearts. Their challenges are ours and ours theirs.
July 9, 2018
A very poetic book about Seven boys named Pablo all over the world. The variety of experiences is immense, but they are all just kids. I don't think it would be good book for storytime, but it is definitely well suited for a lap read. There is a lot to discuss and unpack, and I think one on one with an older child would be the ideal reading experience.
May 21, 2018
Pair this with THIS IS HOW WE DO IT or the DK books about children around the world. The stories of the Pablos are compelling and the accompanying pencil illustrations help expand one’s sense of what it might be like to live life under different circumstances than one is accustomed to. Seven Pablos conveys more powerfully than any children’s book I’ve seen the idea that the differences in the way we live our lives are less important than our shared humanity.
January 7, 2019
I would have liked this book better if some of the Pablos had fewer struggles. As is, I worry that some kids reading this book will walk away assuming that all people named Pablo (and by extension all Latinx people) are poor and struggling.
This is of course tinted by my own position as a white, middle class reader. The book likely resonates differently with others.
This is of course tinted by my own position as a white, middle class reader. The book likely resonates differently with others.
August 14, 2019
This book tells the story of seven boys named Pablo. I love the concept, but found the book to be dark. I realize that many children have struggles and don't live middle class lives, but everyone one of these boys has a very difficult life. The illustrations also add to the depressing feeling of the book.
November 3, 2019
This book discusses the lives of seven different children around the world named Pablo experiencing some sort of struggle or loss. The illustrations look like they are drawn by a child in pencil and crayon to help a young reader empathize with the situations that the characters are going through. The end of the book ends on a positive note of global connection to each other and we are all part of humanity no matter where we are.
For a reading class in primary grades up to 4th or 5th, this would be a good choice for a discussion about the world as a community and development of empathy. Students would be able to practice their ability to infer the emotions of each of the Pablos.
For a reading class in primary grades up to 4th or 5th, this would be a good choice for a discussion about the world as a community and development of empathy. Students would be able to practice their ability to infer the emotions of each of the Pablos.
May 4, 2018
This thought-provoking picture book shows the lives of seven boys named Pablo, living in different places around the world, and each struggling with poverty, deprivation, and fear. Simple text sets the scene and establishes the place. Rough, naive-style art, executed in pencil, echoes the difficult circumstances of each child, and seems like the view of his life as seen by someone passing by. The book effectively shows that, despite their different countries of origin, the Pablos share the same humanity.
July 12, 2022
There are seven Pablos in this book yet there are millions of them around the world, and the delicate prose by Jorge Luján, coupled with the splendid charcoal/wax-like illustrations of Chiara Carrer, tell their stories beautifully. Little to no affect is pushed, in the book: the poet introduces each Pablo with factual yet tender and kind-hearted biographical informations. The result is powerful and opens up a space for important discussion, without the shadow of a doubt, for Western readers.
September 29, 2018
Seven Pablos from all over the world, including the US, tell their stories, not always easy, some heart-breaking. Reading this to older children will bring conversations and questions. Illustrations are mostly charcoal, black and white, a bit of color. They appear easily erased, like the children?
January 25, 2020
a well told story, but I am not sure of the audience for this nicely illustrated book,
a strong social justice message..how we the non-Pablos of the world learn of and work to assist the Pablos of the world who struggle so.
a strong social justice message..how we the non-Pablos of the world learn of and work to assist the Pablos of the world who struggle so.
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December 12, 2022These children all face challenges, some even more difficult than others. Hard to read. And I don't particularly care for the art. Still, there are some families who might appreciate it, and learn from it.
Impulse Pima
Impulse Pima
May 12, 2018
Interesting concept. Probably closer to 3.5
June 29, 2018
Simple yet powerful.
July 4, 2018
Seven boys named Pablo. Seven different stories, yet all are connected by their humanity.
July 19, 2018
For seven different kids with the same name, how life could differ them and lead to different paths of life?
We never know.
But we can care.
We never know.
But we can care.
January 25, 2019
Definitely a book for older kids; so sad :(
October 20, 2020
I enjoyed the illustrations and the story concept was genius.
November 23, 2022
I did not like the art work.
March 7, 2023
Most appropriate for older children
August 9, 2018
Two-page vignettes describe seven different impoverished boys named Pablo in Chile, Ecuador, Mexico (from Argentina), New York (from Guyana), Peru, Brazil, and Mexico again, coping with adversity or trauma, or simply living in an isolated village.
Dramatic graphite-pencil illustrations allow the forbidding darkness of coal mining caves, rows of stiff, cold soldiers, fumes from the favela’s garbage dump, and hordes of refugees on a train to the US border to sink in to the reader’s consciousness. Touches of yellows and oranges amid those scenes and within the grey depictions of mountains, gardens, and cities provide relief and also contrast the desperate circumstances with glimmers of hope and escape.
The descriptions of family, work, living situations, friends, and general circumstances are heart-wrenching despite their brevity, but the book ends on a hopeful note: an image of cautiously smiling children of all ethnicities, and the reminder that “...Inside of each is a heart that beats with the same rhythm as the ocean’s waves and the rotations of the planet.”
The scene at the center of the book, a New York classroom, showing diverse children with desks, school supplies, and an empathetic teacher, illustrates a didactic lesson; There is no relief in revenge. This single overt moralistic message - aimed at the Pablos of the world - differs from the rest of the book, which nowhere else exhorts readers to feel, think, or act any specific way.
Note: The back cover mis-states that one Pablo is from Guatemala, and says this book was “inspired by Gianni Rodari’s story One in Seven”, a 2003 Italian picture book about seven boys in various countries that received mediocre reviews at the time, and does not seem to be widely known or held by libraries in my area (San Francisco Bay Area, California, US).
Reviewed for ACL.
Dramatic graphite-pencil illustrations allow the forbidding darkness of coal mining caves, rows of stiff, cold soldiers, fumes from the favela’s garbage dump, and hordes of refugees on a train to the US border to sink in to the reader’s consciousness. Touches of yellows and oranges amid those scenes and within the grey depictions of mountains, gardens, and cities provide relief and also contrast the desperate circumstances with glimmers of hope and escape.
The descriptions of family, work, living situations, friends, and general circumstances are heart-wrenching despite their brevity, but the book ends on a hopeful note: an image of cautiously smiling children of all ethnicities, and the reminder that “...Inside of each is a heart that beats with the same rhythm as the ocean’s waves and the rotations of the planet.”
The scene at the center of the book, a New York classroom, showing diverse children with desks, school supplies, and an empathetic teacher, illustrates a didactic lesson; There is no relief in revenge. This single overt moralistic message - aimed at the Pablos of the world - differs from the rest of the book, which nowhere else exhorts readers to feel, think, or act any specific way.
Note: The back cover mis-states that one Pablo is from Guatemala, and says this book was “inspired by Gianni Rodari’s story One in Seven”, a 2003 Italian picture book about seven boys in various countries that received mediocre reviews at the time, and does not seem to be widely known or held by libraries in my area (San Francisco Bay Area, California, US).
Reviewed for ACL.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to Read
May 12, 2018Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
Want to Read
November 20, 2018Why I want to read this book (11/20/2018): http://100scopenotes.com/2018/09/24/p...
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews